Mastering the Art of Performance

A Primer for Musicians

Stewart Gordon

Full of practical tips, real life examines, and easy to follow exercises

Most manuals deal with just the actual performance - Gordon addresses the issues of a lifetime of performance

Rather than a psychologist or a life coach, the author offers insights from more than 40 years as a performer and teacher

Mastering the Art of Performance

A Primer for Musicians

Stewart Gordon

Description

In Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians, Stewart Gordon offers seasoned advice to musicians intent on meeting the challenges of performance. Through real-life examples and pre-performance exercises, this accessible manual gives musicians and other performers practical insights into every aspect of performance. While other books merely identify and describe the problems associated with performance, this book offers detailed suggestions for solving them. First, Gordon tackles the critical planning and preparatory stages, helping performers to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. The book's easy-to-follow exercises address the self-doubt and anxiety many musicians contend with, helping them to analyze why they perform, set goals and assess the level of energy needed to achieve them, and develop a performance philosophy. The book also offers techniques that will help musicians deal with some of the classic pitfalls of performance preparation, including repetition and drill, changing bad habits, and developing memory. For the performance itself, Gordon's insights help musicians with pacing and managing stage fright. For the aftermath, Gordon arms performers with strategies for dealing with criticism and conducting a constructive self-evaluation, equipping them to face the challenges of a lifetime of performances, including career plateaus and burnout. Gordon draws from more than forty years of experience in front of audiences to offer readers invaluable tips and personal reflections. While aimed primarily at musicians, the book will be useful to anyone facing the pressures of performance, such as actors, dancers, and even public speakers.

Mastering the Art of Performance

A Primer for Musicians

Stewart Gordon

Author Information

Stewart Gordon, Prof. of Keyboard Studies, Thornton Sc hool of Music of the University of Southern California

Stewart Gordon has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a pianist, teacher, editor, composer, and author. His books and video tapes are widely used in university classrooms. His new edition of the thirty-two Beethoven piano sonatas is attracting wide attention for its scholarly research. He is currently a Professor of Keyboard Studies at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California.

Mastering the Art of Performance

A Primer for Musicians

Stewart Gordon

Reviews and Awards

"This is one of those rare volumes that should occupy an honored place on the book shelves of every serious student and teacher of classical music. Beginning with a broad based definition of performance as an integral part of the human experience, Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians, goes on to deal with the psychological, physical, practical, cultural and even spiritual dilemmas and opportunities familiar to everyone who aspires to a high standard of musical performace...The style and organization of Gordon's book is exemplary because it is astute without being academic, popular without being insipid, and practical without being Philistine." - American Music Teacher